Lebanon has elected to participate in the national preparatory process in advance of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) taking place in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.  To support this process, the Ministry of Environment, together with the United Nations Development Programme in Lebanon, appointed ECODIT in December 2011 as the National Consultant to prepare Lebanon’s National Report for the UNCSD - RIO+20.  A ministerial committee composed of the ministries of Environment, Foreign Affairs, Social Affairs, and Economy and Trade, was tasked to lead the preparation of Lebanon’s National Report.  ECODIT conducted interviews, collected and reviewed relevant studies and reports, and drafted and submitted to the ministerial committee a stocktaking report in February 2012.  This report described major developments in the country in all pertinent sectors during 1992-2012, including achievements and setbacks.  It was disseminated widely and then debated during four roundtable discussions organized by the Ministry of Environment and UNDP, bringing together a range of knowledgeable stakeholders from line ministries, research organizations, civil society and the private sector.  ECODIT subsequently prepared a draft National Report in English, and translated it to Arabic, covering social, economic and environmental issues and options in Lebanon from 1992 to 2012. It was presented and discussed at a well-attended consultation workshop organized by the Arab NGO Network for Development in Beirut on May 3-4, 2012.  Finally, ECODIT finalized the report (English and Arabic) based on the workshop discussions and designed and produced it as an official publication.  In June 2012, the Lebanese Government launched the National Report at the Presidential Palace and submitted it to the General Assembly at the UNCSD RIO+20 (June 20-22, 2012).